Focus on Mexico Blog

By Karen McConnaughey

I just hate it when the U.S. media lumps all of Mexico into one big bad bowl. I loved what Linda Ellerbee said in her article “Mexico: One Journalist’s View”:

“Talking about drug violence in Mexico without naming a state or city where this is taking place is rather like looking at the horror of Katrina and saying, "Damn. Did you know the U.S. is under water?" or reporting on the shootings at Columbine or the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City by saying that kids all over the U.S. are shooting their classmates and all the grownups are blowing up buildings. The recent rise in violence in Mexico has mostly occurred in a few states, and especially along the border. It is real, but it does not describe an entire country.”

The safety question comes up occasionally from participants wanting to come on a program. Here’s how I answered one couple:

Hola,

Kristina Morgan, one of our team members at Focus on Mexico, asked that I write you about my particular circumstances and how I feel about living in the Lake Chapala area of Mexico. I am delighted to do so.

I can truly understand your fears and trepidations. I am 63 years old and my husband Bill is 67. We moved here five years ago without even thinking of the things that you're worried about...we were totally clueless. We came on a Thursday, saw one house on a Friday and bought it on a Saturday! We went home and in four months, we sold two houses full of furniture, got married, retired and moved to Mexico! All these life-changing things in a few short months could possibly spell disaster for almost anybody. Add to that the fact that I had lived in Kansas City, MO my entire life, and in the last house I owned for 27 years. You can't ask for a better candidate to have fear and culture shock! All I can say is we have not regretted one instance of our decision to move to the Lake Chapala area of Mexico!

We also live in a village about 10 minutes from Lake Chapala surrounded by Mexican families. We have never felt a fear of walking down to the Plaza for a fiesta and coming back in the middle of the night. I would never do that in Kansas City. I remember one time walking down to visit a friend during the day. Walking toward me were about 10-12 Mexican teenage boys. I had no worries whatsoever. I remember thinking at the time that if this were Kansas City, and I was headed toward 10-12 American teenage boys, I definitely would have felt some fear...when boys get together in a crowd, things can go a little awry. All that happened in this particular instance was that I smiled and said, "buenos dias," and they all broke into smiles with greetings.

Now on to your specific anxieties. Believe me, I read the stories in my comfortable house 15 hours from the border, and think "holy cow...that's unbelievable! How shocking!" I'd like to put that in perspective

In 2008, the Top 5 Most Dangerous Cities in America are below. In parentheses next to them is how far Kansas City is from each of them:

1. 1. New Orleans (13 hours 34 minutes)
2. 2. Camden, NJ (18 hours 20 minute)
3. 3. Detroit (12 hours 15 minutes )
4. 4. St. Louis (3 hours 56 minutes)
5. 5. Oakland (25 hours 58 minutes)

Except for St. Louis, to me those cities are a lifetime away from KC. I have also visited New York as a single woman and ridden the subways alone and never felt afraid. We have had single ladies drive from the Laredo border to Lake Chapala (by themselves), without speaking a word of Spanish and arrive just fine with no tales of fear on the roads of Mexico.

Unfortunately, there are drug wars everywhere, and, yes, it does sound like a total combat zone in the border towns. I probably would not go to Ciudad Juarez or El Paso because of all the stories I read. However, Bill and I have driven back to Kansas City three times since we've been here...once through Laredo/Nuevo Laredo and twice through our favorite town...called the 'best little border town in Texas,' Eagle Pass/Piedras Negras. You never hear anything about Eagle Pass because there's no sensationalism to report...there's no 'fun' in that for the media!! We have never once felt threatened or intimidated. On the contrary, the many times we've been lost (we're both directionally illiterate!), all the people who have put up with our minimal Spanish were kind, very helpful and many have gone out of there way to lead us through a labyrinth of streets

I hope you do consider coming on a Focus program. There's nothing like 'seeing is believing.' You will also realize that the border is an incredible lifetime away from our little slice of paradise.

Hasta pronto! (See you soon!)
 
Karen

I am 63 years young, and I have a maid and a gardener twice a week in my home in the Lake Chapala area of Mexico. I almost wrote that twice! That’s how wonderful it makes me feel! I can’t keep the smile off my face!

As with many of our friends who retired in Mexico, my husband and I came to Mexico for the lower cost of living, temperate climate and leaving the rat race! I didn’t realize what I was getting into when we said lower cost of living! We actually have money left over to eat out (at the many excellent restaurants in the area), go to concerts and plays, shop in the many open-air markets and at the malls in Guadalajara, invest in health club memberships, go to the movies (of course, the matinee price is $20 pesos, so that one is easy!) and so much more.

Our maid Vicki and her husband Jose (our gardener) have become our friends. We have attended graduations and baptisms as well as fiestas at their house. They know everyone in town, so if we need something done…like re-sealing our roof for the rainy season or putting in a drainage system so our water doesn’t damage our neighbor’s house, Vicki knows the person to call for help, and she always makes sure she does the negotiating so we get the best price!

By Karen McConnaughey

We get asked this question a lot and, as we always say, “It depends on your lifestyle.” But, as expat Jerry Draughon says on his website, “…I might be able to EXIST in the states, but I can LIVE in Mexico.” That’s how most of us feel about living in our little slice of paradise.

In a website survey run every year in the Ajijic area, one single lady shows how she gets along on $668 a month, which includes her rent of $300 per month! Now that’s financial planning. However, as she says, “I’m proud not to be a consumer. I only purchase what I need and enjoy living a very simple and quiet life.” A more realistic view would be the average for the three single people in the survey, which comes out to be about $1600 a month. The three couples in the survey average about $2600. The only thing we can say with absolute certainty is that you definitely can live better for less in Mexico! The cost of living has been estimated to be 30% to 40% less than anywhere else in North America.

Even if you intend to maintain the same lifestyle you have north of the border, your life is likely to change in unexpected, mostly wonderful, ways. When Bill and I retired here in 2004, we retired on his social security of $1500 a month. Who would imagine that after only one month in Mexico we would have a maid coming in twice a week? We owned our home, had cable TV and Internet access, and ate very well indeed given that Bill’s a gourmet cook! Since we both had the same retirement plan in the States…to drop dead at our desks…we knew we were living large!
My guess is that almost anyone reading this can afford to retire in Mexico. You just want to know that others, like you, started with a dream and a budget and ended up in a truly wonderful reality.

One of our expert speakers during our Focus on Mexico 8-day Educational seminars breaks it down even further for our participants detailing her life in Colorado versus her lifestyle at Lake Chapala. Some of the costs that you might find interesting:

US Dollars:
1. Doctor’s visit – from $15-$30.00
2. Dental visit – teeth cleaning - $25.00
3. Hair cut for men – from $4-$6.00
4. Ladies hair cut and permanent – $20.00
5. Auto wash – from $2-$5.00
6. 1-hour massage – $20-$30.00
7. Pedicure or Manicure — $10
8. Movie ticket (first-run movies in English) – $2.50
9. Gardener – $2.50-$3.00/hr
10. Maid – $3.00/hr
11. Property taxes – from $50 USD to $200 USD a year, with a 10% discount for early payment
12. Water – around $6 a month (paid annually)

We also have no need for air conditioning or a furnace here in the Lake Chapala area. And, generally, any expense in companies requiring a large labor force, like restaurants, construction or auto repair is a bargain. You’ll have to search to find a first-rate evening meal exceeding $20 USD from an unbelievably broad selection of excellent restaurants…European, Greek, Thai, Italian, Argentinean and more!

And, guess what? Many foreigners claim their cost of living in Lake Chapala actually goes down each year. Do you know why that is? Because the longer you live in Mexico, the more you learn to live in a peso-based economy. You’re not taking that credit card out every time you turn around. You’ll find that you don’t miss the things you thought you would miss once you move down here.

You also start thinking in more of a “Mexican” way. When Bill and I first arrived, things seemed so cheap compared to what we were used to. “Wow, only $150 pesos for THAT…let’s buy two!” Just yesterday, at the tianguis, we were looking at a similar $150-peso item and I said: “$150 pesos, you’ve got to be kidding!” And, I don’t know how it happened, but percentage-wise, we’re saving a whole lot more than we used to in the States and even more than we were saving five years ago when we moved to Mexico!

Bill and I moved to Lake Chapala for the same reason most people leave “back home.” We wanted a lower cost of living, a temperate climate, and we wanted to leave the rat race. It’s one of the best decisions we ever made. In fact, it is truly hard for us to understand why so many people still struggle with miserable climates, high utility and medical bills, and other services when they could live a much more enhanced lifestyle in Mexico for less.

Please join us on a Focus on Mexico program. You’ll realize, after hearing our guest speaker talk about Cost of Living and Taxes, why so many people are able to move up their retirement date. Maybe you can too.